MY trips to Magaluf and Thailand never much impressed Nanny Marie, but her failing eyes lit up with the news I was taking the family off to Margate.
Sixty years earlier Mrs Downes, who has never ventured out of England and proudly owns no passport, was a regular down at the Kent seafront resort.
Alamy
“We used to drive up to Cliftonville as it was where all the posh people lived,” she proudly informed me.
But the whole area seems to have had an extensive, and expensive, makeover since her glory days.
Famous as the destination for Derek Trotter’s Jolly Boys’ Outing in a 1989 episode of Only Fools And Horses, the whole place gives off a much more modern and family feel now.
The focus of our trip was seafront amusement park Dreamland. It reopened four years ago as a heritage attraction with 17 rides spanning the decades, from its 1920s beginnings right up to the modern day.
There are now 26 rides to keep even the fussiest theme park addict happy. There are plenty of classics, with some good modern ones thrown in.
The rides were retro brilliant, especially for our metre-tall three-year-old — and the wide open spaces offered just as much fun.
Seafood vans flogging whelks and cockles have — perhaps sadly for some — been replaced by artisan sourdough pizzas and vegan options.
And the food vans dotted around the park also offer a selection of delicate cocktails and craft beers.
PA:Press Association
The giant ferris wheel has a brilliant view out to sea, and the petting zoo, hosting giant snails and tarantulas, offers a different kind of thrill to the rides.
Sadly, because of the occasional April shower, the world’s biggest bouncy castle was out of bounds, but it will provide hours of fun on brighter days.
The indoor play area known as the Octopus’s Garden did a brave job at trying to fill in.
If rain does stop play, there is always the roller disco and vintage games arcade with a fantastic array of pinball machines and more.
Tomorrow sees Dreamland host a Camp Bestival Easter Sunday Party — just one of the many music events to be held at the park each year.
The festival takeover features live music from funk legends The Cuban Brothers, Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, Miss Kiddy and The Cads, and the Kent Soul Choir.
When the sun does shine, sitting outside Dreamland’s seafront pub, The Cinque Ports, is an obvious draw — and was the perfect way to round off our brilliant trip. We’ll be going back.
“I told you so,” Nan said when we finally got home beaming.
GO: MARGATE
Dreamland is open for the 2019 season and is currently free to enter. Guests wishing to ride can either pay per ride or purchase wristbands (from £12) in advance online.
Annual Dreamland membership starts from £50 and includes unlimited rides and use of the roller room, exclusive food and drink discounts and special offers on ticketed events.
See dreamland.co.uk.
